Two consortiums compete for Colombia's US$927mn Conexión Pacífico hwy concession

Two consortiums bid for Colombia's 1.79tn (US$927mn) Conexión Pacífico 1 highway concession, which is the first project under the Autopistas para la Prosperidad program and part of the country's fourth generation (4G) of concessions.

There were 10 prequalified consortiums and the two to submit bids were Autopista Conexión Pacífico I, comprised of local firm Estudios y Proyectos del Sol (Episol) and Spain's Iridium, and Infraestructura Vial de Colombia, comprised of Colombian firms Carlos Alberto Solarte, Cass Constructores, Alca Ingeniería and Latinoamericana de Construcciones and Mexican company Controladora de Operaciones de Infraestructura.

The Pacífico 1 four-lane stretch will run 49km from Ancón Sur to Bolombolo, and includes the construction of two tunnels and 42 bridges.

Autopistas para la Prosperidad, or highways for prosperity program involves building some 900km of four-lane highways, 63km of bridges and 90km of tunnels.

4G CONCESSION PROGRAM

Currently, national infrastructure agency ANI has nine highways in the tendering process under its 4G program, and Pacífico 1 is the second of these to receive bids.

The first to receive bids, the 1.3tn-peso Girardot-Puerto Salgar highway, also saw offers from two consortiums out of 10 prequalified firms.

"This is normal, we're going to have between 2 to 5 participants in each tendering process." ANI president Luis Fernando Andrade told local daily Portafolio. "We have technical demands and transferring of risk, and not all companies found that they could fulfill these requirements."

In addition, several consortiums are prequalified for over five different projects and will only bid on the ones they find the most attractive, Andrade said.